Manipur: Congress Seeks Parity Between Hill And Valley Districts Over Removal Of AFSPA

IMPHAL, April 6 (NNN): Congress party in Manipur has asked the reasons behind non-lifting of Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, 1958 from any part of the hill areas of Manipur.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Imphal, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) working president, Kh Devabrata demanded that the BJP-led government should lift the draconian Act from parts of the hill areas. He asked as to why not a single police station in the hill districts was included when the Centre reduced the areas of coverage by the Act by lifting it from nine more police stations of Manipur.

All the nine police stations where the Act was lifted are in the valley districts. Earlier, during Congress’ rule, the Act was lifted from areas covered by Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) spread over five police stations. Now, the draconian law has been withdrawn from 15 police stations spread across six valley districts.

“The incumbent BJP-led government has been claiming mark improvement of law and order situation in the whole of the state. But, when the Act was lifted from certain selected areas, not a single police station of the hill districts was included,” Kh Devabrata pointed out.

The working president of MPCC then stated that it is the bounden duty of the government to bring development in both the hills and the valley and the incumbent state government is also repeatedly claiming taking up works for a balanced development in the hills and the valley. “However, at the time of lifting the Act, not a single police station from the hill districts was included,” he also said.  At the same time, the Congress leader said that people have started expressing unhappiness when not a single police station in hill district was included while lifting the draconian Act.

Kh Devabrata then urged the political parties making alliance with the BJP in the state and supporting the BJP-led government to press the government for lifting the Act from parts of the hill districts or from the whole of the state at the earliest.